It's a Start

While going about spring doing spring things, I have also managed to squeeze in some shop time. Because I don't have a great source of walnut, I had to order mine online and because that means I can't choose my boards, I generally have to order some extra too. It certainly isn't efficient and I wish I had a better source but for now it will do. It also doesn't hurt to have some extra lying around for a small project or accent on a larger project. Above is most of the walnut pieces for the 12-drawer dresser project with the joinery already completed. I still need to order walnut for the top but that can be further down the road.

This project is more old school because I'm using traditional mortise and tenon joinery. You can see some both in the above photo. Because wood varies to some degree, I always cut things so the joint is a bit too tight and then fine tune each joint individually using chisels to get the proper fit. Once that has been achieved, I label the joint so that I can get it put together when the final glue up is completed.

Above is the frame of the dresser put together. The two boards on the back weren't mortise and tenon because they really don't need to be since they aren't seen so I had to clamp them in place. I did this just as a final check with my wife about the size of the unit since it is a bit taller than our old dresser it will be replacing. I'm still debating on next steps but I think I'll likely sand everything well and finish what you see above before proceeding onto the next step which will likely be to build some of the internal structure that will support the drawer and their hardware. I'll likely just leave the top until last since it won't require a lot of time per day but will take a lot of days to complete. This will be easier when it is hotter out and I can just work a few hours in the morning before stopping for the day.